Life-saving device for vehicles.



PATENTED SEPT.'29, 1903..

K MOORING.

- LIFE SAVING DEVICE 'FOR VEHICLES.

APPLIOATIOH rmm Jun 2, 1903.

:10 MODEL.

UNITED STATES" i atented September 29, 1903 PATENT I OFFICE.

LlFE SAVlNG DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters recent; No. 740,299, dated September 29, 1903.

Application filed-lune 2,1903. $erial No. 159,741. illo model.) I

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, KENNETH MOORING, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Rockland, in the county of Washington and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Life-Saving Device for Railroad-Oars,

The object of my invention is the provision of a machine which canbe applied to the or dinary street or tramway carsor engine at a smali expense and which will pick up a person or. object and hold them from falling, and thus absolutely prevent injury to the person,

and thus serve as a protector and life-saver for any person so unfortunate as to be overtaken and run down by a car or engine having my apparatus attached thereto. 7

Another object of my invention is the pro- 2 5 vision of a life saving and protecting device which will occupy a small amount of space, which will be simple, strong, and durable in construction, and which will be absolutely re: liable in operation, and thus combine the requisites to render the invention useful,de-'

sirable, and necessary.

With these objects in view my invention consists of a life-saver embodying novel features of construction and combinations of 3 5 parts substantially as disclosed herein.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one end of a car with my life-saver attached, the

' parts being in the position they occupybefore" coming in contact with aperson. Fig. 2 rep- 0 resents a front elevation of the life-saver with the-parts in normal position; and Fig. 3 represents a side view of the life-saver with the parts in the position they occupy after the person has been caught in the machine, show- 5 ing platform down and the top part, cover,

or lid closed down upon and over the platform and person therein.

The letter A designates the front end of a car, to the dashboard of which is attached the pad of cushion B by means of the fiat plates or fastenings O, and this pad serves to form a louder to prevent injury to a person when brought suddenly and quickly in contact therewith when the life-saver contacts with the person, provided the momentum of the car is great enough to overtake the person before falling onto platform K of the lifesaver, in which case the platform drops, causing the top or lid 0 to'close over the person, which prevents the person from coming into contact with the car or locomotive-engine.

To the underside of the front ends of the outside sills of the car, as at D, is secured the back or rear ends of frame E, forming a hingejoint. Said frame E inclines down toward the front until the front end of the frame of life-saver is within an inch or two of the track.

the cover or lid is down) is connected tilting platform K by means of holes in said frame E, through which are inserted the ends of the forward bar F of thetilting platform. The rear cross-bar F of the tilting frame or platform is connected with the top part or lid of the apparatus by means of having the ends ofthe cross-bars, as at F, inserted in and through the slot L in ends M of'frame N of the topor lid, By this construction said top or lid or frame N stands balanced, so that the least weight thrown upon the tilting platform K overbalances the top or lid,

- thus causing it to close down, retaining the object in the receptacle thus formed by the tilting platform and the lid or top frame. The top or lid is constructed with a steel frame, as N, filled in with astrong twine netting O, which is fastened in a substantial manner to the frame and which cannot injure the person coming in contact therewith. f Thetilting platform K, as illustrated, is made up of strong cross rods or bars F F, connected by side bars, and is strengthened by additional bars running lengthwise of the said platform, and covering this construction is a fine wire-netting,'over which I may place a canvas covering, it desirable, thus providing a substantial receptacle, strong and well supported.

When itisnecessary or desirable to connect To theside frame E and-just back or .behind the front guard rail or bar B (when or couple two cars together, the side guard- I rods G, which at their front ends are bent around and connected to the crossbar F, may be'displaced by unhooking or disconnecting hook H from eye J at their rear ends and the entire device turned up against the car on hinge-joint D, which will allow plenty of room for coupling the cars.

When this machine comes in contact with a child or person of larger size, it immediately trips the person, causing them to fall upon the tilting platform K, which immediately drops and through the connections described briugs down top or lid N, at the same time giving the person no time to roll off, consequently increasing their safety from being crushed by the car or engine.

In operation the parts are in position shown in Fig. 1 and the tilting platform K is elevated from the ground, and when a person is struck they fall upon the tilting platform and the top or lid N is brought down and holds the person between the yielding top or lid N and platform K, and thus it is impossible to injure the person, and it is also impossible for the person to fall out of the life-saver.

Having thus fully described myinventiou,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an engine or street-car life-saver, the combination of a bufier, the guard-rails, the pivoted platform, and the pivoted lid for closing downuponand securing the person falling therein.

2. In an engine or street-car life-saver, the combination of a pad, a frame attached to the car and inclining down from the buffer, a receiving-platform having its inner end movable and its outer end pivoted between said inclined frame, a frame carrying a catchingnet and having the members of its lower end slotted to receive the movable end of the receiving and tilting platform, and a pair of guard-rails connected to the car and to the vfront end of the life-saver.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KENNETH MOORING.

Witnesses:

ADAM W. WARE, Mrs. KENNETH MOORING. 

